Do you belong in NYC?

via lialia & katespencer :

“New Yorkers think an interesting life is more important than a happy life. What you really pay for with the exorbitant cost of living and the hard lifestyle is to be surrounded by strong performers, huge ambitions, and constant need for change and innovation. To live in New York City, you have to trade happiness for this. To most New Yorkers, it’s a no-brainer. They would take that trade any day. To most people outside of New York City the trade-off is crazy.”

I spent the last two weeks in Michigan. While there, I saw a lot of extended family to who I couldn’t explain the allure of living in a city so ruthless, uneven, and dysfunctional like New York. For example, despite a $2.26 billion bailout, our transportation costs still went up.

So I went with an answer that they couldn’t contest: the chaos of the city makes the most sense for me.

I think it’s not so binary. Having an interesting life is tantamount to having a happy life. And besides, as much as we all want to deny it, part of the thrill is the stupid race to get to the top and not the prize of being there itself. That’s just a bonus prize.

To people outside of New York under the age of 35: Gosh, just because you have to resort to illegally watching TV on your computer like everyone else who’s broke in the city until you learn to properly spend your money doesn’t mean the end of the world. Also, it means that you never have to worry about the cable box going kaput.

I would be more lucid and thorough, but I’m droopy-eyed and sleepy. Goodnight.